Fashion 101: Pop Your Collar

By Sola Onitiri

Have you ever tried to describe an amazing outfit to someone and found yourself at a loss for words? You know that moment - when your co-worker wants to know how dressy you're getting for a work outing, and you're stuck wildly gesturing to different parts of your body while sputtering out fragments about how "It goes like this at the waist, and the collar does that."

Not to get all infomercial on you, but if this sounds familiar, boy do we have something for you. It seems that you need to bone up on your fashion literacy. But don't sweat it because it's of no fault of your own. Knowing your palazzos from your peplum and your peplum from your pointwork is a skill that's been swept under the rug in the last 50 years. Back in the day, women, especially those who didn't have the means to bop over to their nearest department store, were responsible for making clothes for themselves and their children. So they had to know their hemlines and collars.

Now, thanks to the rise of fast fashion and online shopping, the need for fashion knowledge isn't super necessary unless you're in the fashion industry. But that doesn't mean that you shouldn't know it. In the true spirit of the Let's Get Going motto, we're giving you the tools and knowledge you need to become even more iconic. So grab a pen and paper, because class is in session!

In clothing, a collar is the part of a shirt, dress, coat or blouse that fastens around or frames the neck. DUH right? What you may not have realized, is that there are over 30 different kinds of collars. We're only going over nine of the more popular collar options because because ain't no body got time for that.

1. Peter Pan collar - Popularized in 1905 by Maude Adams in her role as Peter Pan, this flat, round-cornered collar is typically found on girls' dresses. This one is usually a popular choice for detachable collars too.

2. Spread collar - Also known as the cutaway color, this collar is popular in "menswear" because it has a a lot of room for neck ties and ascots. But if there's anything that's not gendered it would be collars.

3.Long Point collar - This collar, worn without a tie, is super dramatic due to it's (you guessed it) long points. It's also known as the straight point collar or the forward point collar.

4. Jabot collar - Now it's getting interesting. You know the collar that Harry Styles has been wearing? That little number is called a Jabot. It's a standing collar with pleated ruffles. It's often made with lace and it's a LOOK.

5. Convertible collar - As you can probably already glean from the name, this kind of collar is going to give you the most bang for your buck. The convertible collar is meant to look one way buttoned all the way up, and another when you leave it undone.

6. Button Down collar - This in a name you've used before, but you've probably been using it wrong. A button down only refers to collar with buttonholes on the points to fasten them to the shirt itself.

7. Round collar - The round collar is any kind of collar with rounded points. Easy to remember, even easier to wear.

8. Wing collar - The wing collar is one of the only things that was all the rage in the 17th century that's still worn today. It's a half-circle collar with a tall stand.

9. Tuxedo collar - Now that power suits are all the rage, let's talk tuxedo collars. With a fly wing to accent the bow tie, this collar can get a little tigh on the neck but boy is the look worth it.

That's only a small taste of collar popping fashion. Part two maybe coming your way soon. What's some other fashion questions you want us to do a lecture on? Let us know below or on Twitter! IF you learned something new, don't forget to Share! Share! Share!